# Zenodo Scraper — Datasets, Papers & Software Records (`devilscrapes/zenodo-research-records-scraper`) Actor

Search Zenodo's open research repository and export records — DOI, title, authors, resource type, publication date, license, access rights, file count and download stats — as clean JSON, CSV or Excel.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/devilscrapes/zenodo-research-records-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [DevilScrapes](https://apify.com/devilscrapes) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 50.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

<div align="center">
  <img src=".actor/icon.svg" width="160" alt="Devil Scrapes mark" />

## Zenodo Scraper — Datasets, Papers & Software Records

**💰 $2.05 / 1 000 results**  ·  pay only for results  ·  no credit card to try

*We do the dirty work so your dataset stays clean.* 😈

Search Zenodo's open research repository and export records — DOI, title, authors, resource type, publication date, license, access rights, file count and download stats — as clean JSON, CSV or Excel.

</div>

***

### 🎯 What this scrapes

Zenodo is where CERN hosts the open-science long tail: datasets, software releases, preprints and project deliverables that never reach a journal index. Its API returns a record shape that splits the same field across a top level and a nested <code>metadata</code> block, and encodes resource type as a three-key object. This Actor reconciles both into one flat row so a dataset landscape or a grant-output audit lands straight in a spreadsheet.

### 🔥 What we handle for you

reconciles Zenodo's duplicated top-level and metadata fields into one row
unpacks the three-key resource-type object into type and subtype columns
retries transient 429/5xx responses instead of failing the whole run

### 💡 Use cases

- Find open datasets in a research area and rank them by downloads.
- Audit the published outputs of a funded project or grant.
- Track software releases archived with a citable DOI.
- Build a reading list restricted to genuinely open-access records.

### ⚙️ How to use it

1. Click **Try for free** at the top of the page.
2. Fill in the input form — most fields have sensible defaults.
3. Click **Start**. Output streams into the run's dataset.
4. Export from **Storage → Dataset** as JSON, CSV, or Excel — or fetch via the API.

### 📥 Input

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|:--:|---|---|
| `searchQuery` | `string` | no | 'climate' | Full-text search across titles, descriptions and creators. |
| `resourceType` | `string` | no | 'any' | Restrict to one Zenodo resource type. |
| `openAccessOnly` | `boolean` | no | False | Restrict to records whose files are openly downloadable. |
| `maxResults` | `integer` | no | 100 | Stop after this many records. Each record is one billed result row. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | `object` | no | {'useApifyProxy': False} | Zenodo is a public API and does not need a proxy. Leave this off unless your account requires egress through Apify… |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "climate",
  "maxResults": 3,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

### 📤 Output

Every row is one dataset item.

| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| `record_id` | `integer` | Zenodo record identifier. |
| `doi` | `string` | Record DOI. |
| `doi_url` | `string` | Resolvable DOI URL. |
| `title` | `string` | Record title. |
| `resource_type` | `string` | Top-level type, e.g. `dataset`, `publication`. |
| `resource_subtype` | `string` | Subtype, e.g. `deliverable`, `preprint`. |
| `publication_date` | `string` | Publication date (`YYYY-MM-DD`). |
| `creators` | `array` | Author or creator names. |
| `first_creator` | `string` | First listed creator. |
| `access_right` | `string` | `open`, `embargoed`, `restricted` or `closed`. |
| `license` | `string` | License identifier, when declared. |
| `file_count` | `integer` | Number of attached files. |
| `downloads` | `integer` | Reported download count. |
| `views` | `integer` | Reported view count. |
| `url` | `string` | Record page on zenodo.org. |

#### Example output

```json
{}
```

### 💰 Pricing

Pay-Per-Event — you pay only when these events fire:

| Event | USD | What it is |
|---|---:|---|
| `actor-start` | $0.05 | One-off warm-up charge per run |
| `result` | $0.002 | Per dataset item |

Example: 1 000 results at the rates above ≈ **$2.05**. No subscription, no minimum, no card to start — Apify gives every new account $5 of free credit.

### 🚧 Limitations

- Returns record metadata and stats, not the files themselves.
- Embargoed and restricted records appear with their metadata but no downloadable content.

### ❓ FAQ

**Do I need an API key?**

No. Zenodo's search API is open for anonymous use; the Actor stays inside the unauthenticated rate limit.

**Can I filter to just datasets?**

Yes — set <b>Resource type</b> to Dataset. The Actor maps it to Zenodo's <code>type</code> filter.

**Are download counts reliable?**

They are Zenodo's own reported stats, passed through unchanged. Treat them as indicative rather than audited.

### 💬 Your feedback

Spotted a bug, hit a weird edge case, or need a new field? Open an
issue on the Actor's **Issues** tab on Apify Console — we ship
fixes weekly and we read every report.

***

<div align="center">

Built by **[Devil Scrapes](https://apify.com/DevilScrapes)** 😈 — a small fleet of
opinionated public-data Actors. Honest pricing, real engineering, zero fine print.

</div>

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Full-text search across titles, descriptions and creators.

## `resourceType` (type: `string`):

Restrict to one Zenodo resource type.

## `openAccessOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Restrict to records whose files are openly downloadable.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many records. Each record is one billed result row.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Zenodo is a public API and does not need a proxy. Leave this off unless your account requires egress through Apify Proxy.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "climate",
  "resourceType": "any",
  "openAccessOnly": false,
  "maxResults": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `datasetItems` (type: `string`):

All dataset items as JSON.

## `datasetItemsCsv` (type: `string`):

Same data exported to CSV.

## `datasetView` (type: `string`):

Open the run dataset in the Console.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchQuery": "climate",
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("devilscrapes/zenodo-research-records-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchQuery": "climate",
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("devilscrapes/zenodo-research-records-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchQuery": "climate",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call devilscrapes/zenodo-research-records-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,devilscrapes/zenodo-research-records-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/WFAKGknWtMJtePhsh/builds/sYWjibNIgsN7UPWZ6/openapi.json